


Growing Pains

by DarkJediQueen



Series: Here There Be Dragons [12]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Discussion of past Torture, Dragons, Fantasy, M/M, magic is known
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-09 03:50:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18908962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkJediQueen/pseuds/DarkJediQueen
Summary: There were bound to be small issues that popped up from time to time.





	Growing Pains

**Author's Note:**

> **Year** : Early January 2010  
>  **Spoilers** : Up Through Season 5  
>  **Beta** : rivermoon1970

Aaron watched Reed as he stalked around the room where he and Dave were talking to Doctor Malcolm. Aaron held out his hand as Reed jumped up onto a chair. Malcolm kept on getting distracted by Reed moving around the room. Aaron knew that Reed was upset by something, but he was unsure what it was. Reed's emotions were a little subdued in the bond, and that usually happened when Reed was feeling an intense emotion of some kind and didn't want Aaron to feel it, for good or for ill. Doctor Malcolm had been quite shocked when Aaron had entered his office with Reed on his shoulder. 

"We'll keep the police here in case Samantha drops in for a visit. Let's go, Reid." Dave looked at Reed, who was still looking around. Aaron wondered what he saw. 

"Hey, a really fast question. Why are these toys here?" Reed nodded toward the high shelves.

"I use them in my therapy." 

"No, I understand that, but why are they way up on this shelf, away from where any kids can actually reach them?" Reed was moving all around, jumping here and there before settling down beside Malcolm on the edge of his desk. Dave looked intrigued, and Aaron was unsure what Reed was seeing that they were not. 

"They're reminders of patients that I've helped." 

"Let me ask you something." Reed got even closer and lowered his head a little like he was genuinely inquisitive. He jumped up to cling to the top of the shelf, and he swung down and rotated to where his back to the room. Reed nudged one of the toys that were there. "What was the name of the girl you helped with this one?"

"Jenny Larson." 

"Hmm." Reed poked another one. "And this one? What was the name of the girl you helped with this one?"

"Abigail Moore." 

"How about this one?"

Aaron looked at Malcolm and then at Dave. Dave's face was impassive, but Aaron knew the look in his eye. Dave was catching on something with Reed's questions. 

"Linda Krauss." 

"These girls are what, they're like nine, nine or twelve years old, I'm assuming?" Reed asked as he dropped down to the floor before jumping up on the edge of Malcolm's desk, staring Malcolm down. 

"My Ph.D. is on the effect of trauma on prepubescent girls. I do not appreciate what you're implying." Malcolm looked really upset at Reed's words and acted like he was going to stand up and hurt Reed. Aaron stayed where he was though. Reed puffed out smoke as the man stood up. Malcolm sat back so quick that Aaron heard the creak of the chair. 

"Oh, I'm not implying anything. I'm making an inference. An inference is an educated guess. And based on that, I form a hypothesis. For instance, my hypothesis here is that after you raped your daughter, you submitted her to electroshock treatment to make sure she stayed quiet."

Malcolm looked at Aaron, looking shocked as hell and surprised but Aaron could see it. See what Reed had seen from the start. 

"This is outrageous." 

"And then, out of guilt, you bought her toys, More specifically, you bought her a line of dolls. Because that's what serial molesters do. They give gifts. So you continued the pattern with your other patients, And once they left your care, you added their toys to your collection." 

"I'm sorry, you can't back up your story, you stupid dragon." 

Reed snorted. "I'm no stupid dragon. I'm a doctor many times over. This is why I love my job, doctor. Because my lab, it's a jury of your peers. My tests will be Jenny Larson, Abigail Moore, and Linda Krauss. The DA will put them on the stand," Reed said as he grew in size to where he was eye level with Malcolm. "And I'm going to personally bring these dolls in, And we're going to watch how they react." 

Dave stepped up to the desk. He looked pissed. "Or you could tell us where your daughter is." Rossi paused for a second, and Malcolm turned to look at him. "And we'll tell the DA you cooperated. But once we walk out this door, That deal comes off the table."

Aaron held out his arm, and this time, Reed jumped up. Aaron got to the door first, but he waited for Dave to pass in front of him after opening it and waving Dave forward. Dave was out first, and Aaron followed behind. 

"2529 Adams Street," Malcolm said as Reed just about passed through the door on Aaron's arm. Aaron stepped back into the room. He felt Dave moving behind him. The doctor looked worried. "You'll tell them, right? That I cooperated." 

“You want to know how I figured you out? Those toys." Reed nodded up at some of them. Next, he pointed at the ones that he had pointed out earlier. "You take care of them. These ones you treasured. But you know what? The collection's not complete. Where are they?"

* * *

The apparition of Spencer exited the little house alongside Samantha. It was one of the more significant expenditures of magic that Reed had done since he had been injured. Whatever reserves he had pooled inside of him had to be gone. His magic was low anyway because of trying to force his wings to heal. Technically Reed broke orders to not go to unsafe places from his doctor, but Reed was sitting on Aaron's shoulder in the SUV with it magically locked down, so he was as safe as he was anywhere. Reed was the best at getting victims to trust, and no matter what else happened, Samantha Malcolm was a victim. She needed help, and those around her had never given it to her. 

Aaron watched as Bethany Wallace was loaded into the ambulance and then Spencer disappeared after Samantha was loaded into a cop car with her dolls. Reed stretched on Aaron's shoulder and jumped down. Aaron watched him turn in a circle, not unlike a dog and try and settle on the seat. Aaron leaned forward and took off his suit jacket before dropping it on top of Reed. Reed hummed a pleased little noise and started to arrange the jacket on top of himself and settled down. 

Locking down the vehicle, Aaron joined the team in going over the house for clues and anything that they could use to make sure that Samantha got the help that she needed. It was an hour before they decided to call it and let the rest of CSU go over the house alone. 

Morgan opened the front passenger seat door and looked down at the lump of the jacket. Aaron watched him smile before tucking a bit of the jacket a little closer to what Aaron assumed was Reed's head before he shut the door and hopped into the back. 

"How long is he going to sleep?" Morgan asked as he buckled himself into the back seat, JJ piled in with him while Dave and Prentiss got into the other SUV with Prentiss driving. 

"Rossi said that he figured out why she was given electroshock before you or him."

"Reed read that room I think the second that he walked in. I didn't see it. I didn't see the way that he cherishes the toys up on top. I read his concern for protecting his daughter as a father, not wanting his child hurt. I didn't see it as a father protecting the secret of the abuse that he had heaped upon his daughter."

"You've had an adjustment period. You never wanted kids, we all knew that. After how you lost your last ones and then you had Jack shoved upon you in the worst way. Don't think that we all missed that it could have robbed him from you before you even knew he existed. Then add in a very willful little dragon and their mate in Henry, and now you have three kids, and you didn't get any time to adjust to having Jack before you had two more added in. You are allowed to feel off-kilter, and that is why we work as a team." Morgan leaned up to slip his head between the two front seats as he talked. 

"I just...I know that Reed loves the kids, I know that in my bones, but he can shut off emotions so easily. He's a father as well, while I am pretty sure he's never fathered children before, he is still currently a father, and he didn't look at the situation the same." Aaron knew what his issue was. He was so afraid of losing any of the kids that he was worried that losing one of them, in any form would not affect Reed the same way. Aaron could see him cutting off that emotion and just forgetting that it happened and that he ever felt it.

"He's new to it, Hotch," JJ said as he laid a hand on Aaron's shoulder. "He probably doesn't understand the depth of feelings that he is having. You gotta give him time."

"I will, it just smacked me in the face on this case." 

"When do classes start again?" Morgan asked.

"Monday and all three will be going. They will have a few classes together, and Reed has worked out a schedule of lessons that will get Bri and Henry up to speed to join Jack in all of his classes as soon as possible. I agree for their bond and the sake of them not sneaking out to see each other that it happen as soon as possible. Bri soaks up everything that Reed teaches her like a sponge."

"I think it's the bond," JJ said, squeezing Aaron's shoulder before letting go. "Henry is soaking up everything as well."

"That's good. Emotionally it will take a while to catch up, but having the three of them together will help." Aaron started the SUV and pulled out of the parking lot that they were parked in. Every single red light that they stopped at, Aaron looked down at Reed who was still asleep. Aaron could feel his light dreams through the bond that they shared. Reed had been dreaming a lot more than he had before he had been injured. Aaron wondered at that often but never asked Reed. He figured that he probably should. 

The first indication that something was wrong was when Reed turned down Dave's offer of a bag of M&M's after Reed finished his paperwork. Aaron watched as Reed jumped to the top of a cabinet, and a book appeared out of nowhere. Dave looked at Aaron, worried, but there were work things that needed to get done before they could head out and dealing with a pouting Reed wasn't going to be quick. 

On the flight home, Reed was nowhere to be found. Aaron could feel him on the jet but could not find him. Aaron wondered if Garcia's bits of magic to make Reed a hole he can hide in had expanded to the jets that they used as well. Dave had been the last on the jet, and he came bearing a bag of grapes. He had set them on the couch and waited. Reed didn't make an appearance at all. Aaron took the grapes from him when they disembarked. It was late enough in the day that Aaron had everyone go home and come in the next day to finish off paperwork and file everything. 

Aaron walked to the car that they had taken into work and put his bag in the back seat of the car before turning to wait for Reed to get off the jet. Aaron still had Reed's bag in hand and waited several minutes before he slipped that into the back seat as well before he started for the jet. 

There was a subtle flare over the bond, and Aaron stopped, trying to figure out where it came from. Aaron turned around to see Reed in the back window of the car, settled behind the headrest. Aaron walked back toward the car and found that Reed's bag was opened. Aaron wanted to smile, but he didn't. Shutting the back door, Aaron opened the front and settled into the driver's seat. 

"Indara texted that the kids have already eaten dinner, but she's willing to make something else for us."

"Chinese please," Reed said. 

"Okay." Aaron shifted to where he could get his phone out of his pants pocket. It was just a few minutes to order enough food for them both of them. Reed was still eating every several hours, and Aaron didn't want to have to worry about him for the rest of the night. Aaron remembered the grapes that he had stuffed into his bag and got out of the car again. Opening up the back seat, he leaned down inside the car and found that Reed was in the opposite corner of the car. He was still in the back window, but he was as far from Aaron as he could get. Aaron sighed and wondered if something more had happened when Reed had expelled his magic to make that Spencer avatar. Aaron dug into his bag to get the grapes and settled them up on the back window with the opening facing Reed. Reed stretched his head forward and grabbed the edge of the bag and pulled it close, burying his head into the bag. 

"Thank you," Reed said, but he didn't look at Aaron at all.

"You are welcome."

Aaron didn't want to force anything when they were in public at the airstrip of the Academy, so he got back into the driver's seat. It would take just about a half an hour to get to the Chinese place that he had ordered from. They were regular customers there and were used to them ordering when they left work. Aaron watched Reed in the rearview mirror as much as he dared while driving. Reed only ate a few grapes before he curled on the back of the seat and seemingly went to sleep again. Aaron felt the dreams start to brush at their bond again. 

Leaving the car running, Aaron ran into the restaurant and picked up their order leaving a large tip to not have to leave Reed alone for long at all. Reed was still asleep when Aaron set the food in the passenger seat. Aaron was already planning how to get two go-bags, the food, and an asleep Reed inside of the house without dropping Reed or the food. He knew that if he left the bags, he wouldn't go back for them and would have to deal with them in the morning. 

The neighborhood was quiet when Aaron pulled in. They would have just enough time to spend a little time with the kids before they had to go to bed. Aaron wondered how Reed's mood would be with Bri and Jack. 

Jack ran outside with Bri on his heels. Indara stayed at the door. Jack climbed right into the car and gently picked up Reed, waking the dragon. Jack handed him out to Bri before he grabbed the grapes and handed them out. Next was the two go-bags. Aaron watched the kids march inside with their burdens. Aaron was left to just get the food and lock the car. Indara looked at Aaron with a weird look on her face. 

"Bad case?"

"I didn't think so, but I think that it's hitting Reed a little more than normal," Aaron admitted. 

Indara looked Aaron up and down and seemed like she didn't believe what Aaron said, which was odd because it was the only thing that it could be. Aaron wasn't lying to her, he wouldn't lie about something like that to her. 

"Bri carried Reed into the kitchen, and they are waiting for dinner."

"Dinner? You already fed them."

"Yes, and instead of ice cream, they want to eat some of Reed's General Tso's. It's right about the time they would normally eat such, so it's not going to be an issue." Indara gave Aaron a cruel smile, and then Aaron was alone. He carried his and Reed's bags to their bedroom before changing out of his suit and into a pair of jeans and a polo. Reed and the kids were sitting at the table with the containers of food sitting out in front of where Aaron and Reed usually sat and ate. There was a stack of books that allowed Reed to stay small and eat at the same height as everyone else without being too big to sit comfortably in the chair. 

Jack and Bri chattered about what Indara did with them that day, and Reed asked questions in all of the right places, but Aaron realized that Reed didn't talk to him at all. It was strange, to be so ignored in his own house by his own bonded mate. Aaron started to rub at his chest halfway through dinner, and he hated the feeling that was coming across the bond. It was the dream feeling that Aaron was getting even though Reed was awake. 

Aaron stopped eating as he looked at Reed. It was the same exact feeling, but Reed was awake. Which meant that Reed had been awake in the SUV after taking in Samantha. Which meant that Reed heard every single word that he said. Aaron tried to push his love through the bond, but he felt it rebound back on him. 

"Come on, Papa," Jack said as he stood up after eating his little bit of General Tso's chicken. Reed had been poking at his food with his tongue for the past five minutes. Jack picked up Reed and gently wiped his face off before carrying him into the living room. Aaron watched them go and looked at Bri. Whatever Reed was feeling had to be transmitted down the family bonds with the kids. Bri followed after Jack with a crawl up into Aaron's lap and a kiss placed on his cheek before she was gone. Aaron rubbed his chest again and frowned. He looked at his half-eaten food and placed a spell on it that would keep it warm enough for him to eat after the kids were put to bed in just a half an hour. 

In the living room, Jack was settled onto the couch with Reed and Sparkle in his lap. The TV was on some kind of nature show that had all of three of them seemingly enthralled. Aaron sat down on the couch in what had become his corner. Reed and Spencer had the other corner, and the kids would sit in the middle, Jack usually against Aaron and Bri or Sparkle against Spencer, lately Reed. 

It did not take long for Jack to shuffle over with his two small dragons on his lap. They both crawled off of him and then Jack crawled into Aaron's lap. Sparkle was the first up and into Jack's lap, settling in the V of his legs. Reed grew some in size and tucked himself into Aaron's side, all along his leg. Aaron laid his hand down on Reed's side that was not tucked into him. Aaron scratched lightly at Reed's side to hear him almost purr. 

Aaron said nothing as the kids settled onto him, and they both fell asleep while the show played on. Aaron was loathed to get up because it would mean that he and Reed would be talking. Aaron wanted to talk, but he had no clue what to say. He hadn't even entertained the thought that Reed had been listening or that what he said could be upsetting to his mate. 

"I'll put them to bed," Indara said as she entered the living room. Sparkle crawled onto Jack's chest as Indara lifted him. 

"Thanks."

"You are welcome. You both look beat to hell."

"That's a good description of how I feel."

"I'll be staying in my room for the rest of the evening. Good night."

Reed rumbled something at her, and she gave him a soft smile. Aaron wondered again if it was something that Reed had made when he was younger. Aaron couldn't help but be jealous of the years that Indara had with Reed when Aaron did not. He knew that it was stupid because Reed was his in every single way that mattered, but Reed had relationships that were not any of Aaron's business. 

Indara stopped at the door and turned to look at Aaron. 

"He knew from the moment that he was old enough to understand what a soulmate was that he had one. Tria and Serena told him everything."

Aaron looked up at Indara and saw that she looked sad.

"They tried to talk him into distractions, well they called them lovers, but he called them distractions. Spencer had relationships but nothing that was ever more than sex. He saved his heart for you, Aaron even through all of his long years he never fell in love with anyone that he had sex with. If he found himself wanting them more than once or twice, he left. You are his first love and will be his only romantic love in his long life." Indara nodded and left. 

Aaron swallowed because that was something that Reed had never told him. Aaron didn't feel upset, and he knew that Reed would never hold his relationships against him. Aaron had not known what was waiting for him. Reed had, Spencer had. Aaron had never asked about past relationships that Reed had. He knew that Reed had partaken of sex before, but he had never wondered if there was someone out there that had a claim on Reed that Aaron would have to compete with. Reed had promised that he loved Aaron and that was enough. 

"Come here," Aaron murmured as he patted his chest. Reed shrunk down as he climbed up onto Aaron's legs. Aaron scooted down on the couch so that his chest was at a better angle than straight up and down. Reed wrapped his tail up along his body as Aaron cupped his arms around him. Aaron brushed his fingers over the leather strap harness that was being used to keep his wings stable. "I didn’t mean to upset you. I did not mean to hurt you, Reed."

"I know." Reed stretched his neck out to lick at the underside of Aaron's chin. "I'm having a lot of problems controlling my emotions. I used to fly to let my mind wander, and I work through issues. I don't have that. I can't even turn into a human and exercise or fuck my emotions out. Morgan's offered to run with me and maybe I can do that. Run around the track at the Academy. All of my regular exercises are denied me either because I can't do it because no wings or I am afraid that I will hurt my wings worse."

"Why did you feel like you were sleeping?" Aaron asked as he started to sit up. Reed crawled up to wrap around his neck like he used to do. Aaron looked at the time and knew that it really was too early to go to bed, but he was worn out. He was tired and just wanted to cuddle with Reed in their bed. 

"I've been getting into waking sleep states when I am trying to nap when on cases. I wasn't aware that it felt like I was asleep over the bond. My magic wants to sleep to force heal my body, but my body wants to move. I hope that running will help."

"Why don't I text Morgan and have him meet us really early tomorrow, and we can all three run around the track at the Academy?" It sounded like an excellent plan to Aaron, and if it helped, that was great. If it didn't, then they would try something else. He could understand being bound like Reed was. If Aaron were confined to a wheelchair for an extended period because of an injury, he would get restless.

"I needed to get a grip on what my own mind was before I talked to you. I know you don't like silence but I can't, I won't talk before I have a grip on my emotions right now. I would say something that would hurt you, and I can't do that. I know what I can do when I am upset, and I never want to do that to you."

"That's why I didn't push. I didn't even realize that anything was really wrong until Indara gave me a weird look earlier. I just assumed you were upset over the case, I didn't think about what I had said and what it would have meant if you had heard."

"I know you didn't mean anything by it. You were confused and upset and talking to a friend." Reed nipped at Aaron's ear, and a feeling of happiness came over the bond. 

Aaron closed his eyes and soaked it up. This was so much more than every other relationship that he had ever had. There was no feeling of needing to escape, which looking back on it, Aaron knew that it was because his magic knew what was waiting for him out there. Aaron was jealous that Reed knew, that he could hold himself for Aaron where Aaron had loved many over his long life. He walked by memory to the stairs and up to the bedroom. He laid Reed down on the bed and started to undress. He kept his underwear on just in case the kids slipped into the bedroom in the night. 

Reed couldn't sleep on his side or back at all so he could only lay on his stomach. Aaron slipped under the blankets and rolled onto his stomach, he felt the bed shift and dip as Reed grew in size. He walked down the bed as he did until he could mostly lay overtop of Aaron. Aaron felt the warmth of it and settled down. At some point, Reed would probably move to where he was under the blanket and be skin to skin to Aaron, but right now, it was all good. Aaron couldn't remember regularly being the little spoon at all in his life, but he liked doing it with Reed. 

Aaron felt when Reed slipped entirely into sleep because his dreams started to press on Aaron's mind, dreams of flying. Aaron pushed a little, and when he opened his eyes, he was on Reed's back as the dragon flew. Aaron looked down to see that they were into anywhere near current times, given the landscape below. Aaron could make out villages with smoke from fires and large tracts of land with animals on it. Aaron laid down on Reed's back, settling in to enjoy a flight with his dragon. 

# The End

**Author's Note:**

> I write fanfiction for fun. It's a hobby and a stress relief. I refuse to stress over my writing. What you see is what you get. Errors, plot holes, and all. Thank you for reading my story! 
> 
> I can be found on MeWe (a FB replacement that's better) [here](https://mewe.com/i/beccaqueen1), join me there and we can discuss my fics and whatnot. My writing page for the moment is kind of dead in the water on a FB front as links are being banned for content. 
> 
> The Criminal Minds Reverse Bang sign-ups are open until June 30th! Please check it out [here](https://criminalmindsbangblog.wordpress.com/).


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